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Place a third of it at the center of your map of Jerusalem. After acting out the siege, burn it there. Scatter another third across your map and chop it with a sword. Scatter the last third to the wind, for I will scatter my people with the sword.

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When the days of your siege come to an end, burn(A) a third(B) of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind.(C) For I will pursue them with drawn sword.(D)

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12 A third of your people will die in the city from disease and famine. A third of them will be slaughtered by the enemy outside the city walls. And I will scatter a third to the winds, chasing them with my sword.

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12 A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds(A) and pursue with drawn sword.(B)

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33 I will scatter you among the nations and bring out my sword against you. Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins.

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A Sign of the Coming Siege

“And now, son of man, take a large clay brick and set it down in front of you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it. Show the city under siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp, and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams. Then take an iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward the city and demonstrate how harsh the siege will be against Jerusalem. This will be a warning to the people of Israel.

“Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side. I am requiring you to bear Israel’s sins for 390 days—one day for each year of their sin. After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days—one day for each year of Judah’s sin.

“Meanwhile, keep staring at the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your arm bared and prophesy her destruction. I will tie you up with ropes so you won’t be able to turn from side to side until the days of your siege have been completed.

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Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

“Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp(A) up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.(B) Then take an iron pan,(C) place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward(D) it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign(E) to the people of Israel.(F)

“Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself.[a] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

“After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin(G) of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.(H) Turn your face(I) toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 4:4 Or upon your side

14 I will scatter his servants and warriors to the four winds and send the sword after them.

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14 I will scatter to the winds all those around him—his staff and all his troops—and I will pursue them with drawn sword.(A)

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And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘Those who are destined for death, to death;
    those who are destined for war, to war;
those who are destined for famine, to famine;
    those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’

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And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;(A)
those for starvation, to starvation;(B)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(C)

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16 I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.”

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16 I will scatter them among nations(A) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(B) and I will pursue them with the sword(C) until I have made an end of them.”(D)

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“Even if they dig down to the place of the dead,[a]
    I will reach down and pull them up.
Even if they climb up into the heavens,
    I will bring them down.
Even if they hide at the very top of Mount Carmel,
    I will search them out and capture them.
Even if they hide at the bottom of the ocean,
    I will send the sea serpent after them to bite them.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:2 Hebrew to Sheol.

Though they dig down to the depths below,(A)
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(B)
    from there I will bring them down.(C)
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(D)
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.(E)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(F)
    there I will command the serpent(G) to bite them.(H)

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“This is what the Lord says: ‘Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who surrender to the Babylonians[a] will live. Their reward will be life. They will live!’

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Footnotes

  1. 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in 38:18, 19, 23.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,(A) but whoever goes over to the Babylonians[a] will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 18, 19 and 23

10 And I will send war, famine, and disease until they have vanished from the land of Israel, which I gave to them and their ancestors.”

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10 I will send the sword,(A) famine(B) and plague(C) against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.(D)’”

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21 For death has crept in through our windows
    and has entered our mansions.
It has killed off the flower of our youth:
    Children no longer play in the streets,
    and young men no longer gather in the squares.

22 This is what the Lord says:
“Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,
    like bundles of grain after the harvest.
    No one will be left to bury them.”

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21 Death has climbed in through our windows(A)
    and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
    and the young men(B) from the public squares.

22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:

“‘Dead bodies will lie
    like dung(C) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
    with no one to gather them.’”

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