² 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)

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)

³³ I will scatter^(A) you among the nations^(B) and will draw out my sword^(C) and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste,^(D) and your cities will lie in ruins.^(E)

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

4 “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. ² 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) 3} 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)

⁴ “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. ⁵ 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.

⁶ “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) 7} Turn your face^(I) toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. ⁸ 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)

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)

² And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

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)

² “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)