Ezekiel 21
International Standard Version
A Prophecy against Jerusalem
21 [a]This message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of Man, look toward Jerusalem, preach[b] against its sanctuaries, and prophesy against Israel’s land. 3 Declare to Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Watch out! I’m against you! I’m going to unsheathe my sword to kill both the righteous and the wicked among you. 4 Since I’m going to kill both the righteous and the wicked among you, I’ll be unsheathing my sword against everyone from south to north. 5 Then everyone will know that I am the Lord, who unsheathed my sword, and who won’t have to unsheathe it again.”’
6 “And now, Son of Man, you are to start groaning until you’re sick to your stomach.[c] You are to groan bitterly right in front of them.[d] 7 When they’ll ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that just arrived. Every heart will melt with fear, every hand will grow limp, every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will glisten with sweat.’ Look! It has come and it will be fulfilled,” declares the Lord God.
God’s Sword and Scepter
8 This message came to me from the Lord: 9 “Son of Man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
‘A sword!
A sword is being sharpened.
It’s also being polished.
10 It’s being sharpened for slaughter,
and being polished to gleam like lightning.’
“We shouldn’t be rejoicing, should we,
while my Son’s scepter, the sword,
is despising[e] every tree?[f]
11 It’s intended to be polished
so it can be grasped in the hand.
The sword is sharpened.
It’s polished for placement
into the hand of the executioner.”
12 ‘Cry and wail, you Son of Man!
It’s headed against my people.
It’s also against all the princes of Israel,
who have been tossed to the sword,
along with my people.
So it’s time to grieve like you mean it,[g]
13 because testing is sure to come.
‘In putting the sword to the test along with the scepter, it won’t keep on rejecting, will it?’ declares the Lord God.”
A Double and Triple Judgment
14 “Now, Son of Man, prophesy
as you strike your hands together.
Let the sword that fatally wounds be doubled and tripled.
That great, slaughtering sword closes in on them.
I’ve set in place a slaughtering sword
at the entrance to all their gates,
15 so that their hearts melt
and the number of those who stumble increase.
I’ve set in place a slaughtering sword
at the entrance to all their gates.
Oh, no! It’s made like lightning.
It’s drawn to slaughter.
16 Be sharp!
Attack on the right,
or parry to your left,
wherever you point your sword.[h]
17 I will also clap my hands;
then my anger will subside.[i]
I, the Lord have spoken it.”
Two Pathways to Invasion
18 This message came to me from the Lord: 19 “Now, Son of Man, demarcate two pathways by which the sword of Babylon’s king will arrive in the land. Both pathways will lead from a single land.
“Make a sign,[j] carving it out and installing it at the junction on the way to the city. 20 Set it to point one way for bringing the sword against Rabbah, the descendants of Ammon, and the other way against Judah and fortified Jerusalem.
21 “Meanwhile, Babylon’s king is standing at the fork of the road,[k] where he can head in either of two directions, and that’s where he is practicing divination. Shaking his arrows, he’s asking questions of his teraphim while he examines livers. 22 On his right hand he is divining against Jerusalem, preparing to set up battering rams, preparing[l] for the slaughter, getting ready to sound the alarm for battle,[m] setting the battering rams in place at the gates, building siege mounds, and erecting a siege wall. 23 In their view, it will seem to be a false prophecy, but because they swore allegiance, he’ll make them remember their guilt as he takes them captive.”
Imminent Invasion
24 Therefore this is what the Lord God says: “Because you remembered your sins when your transgressions were uncovered, your sins are visibly evident in everything you’ve done. And since you’ve remembered them, you’ll be taken captive.
25 “So now, you dishonored and wicked prince of Israel,
whose day has come
in this time of final punishment,
26 This is what the Lord God says:
‘Remove your turban!
Take off your crown!
Things aren’t going to remain
as they used to be.
What is lowly will be exalted,
and what is lofty will be brought low.
27 A ruin! A ruin!
I’m bringing about ruin!’
But this also will not happen
until he who has authority over it arrives,
because I’ll give it to him.”
A Rebuke to Ammon
28 And now Son of Man, prophesy to the Ammonites that this is what the Lord God says to the Ammonites about their approaching humiliation:
“A sword! A sword is being drawn for slaughter.
It’s polished to flash like lightning.
29 When they see empty visions about you
while they’re divining lies for you,
to lay you on the necks of the wicked,
who are fatally wounded,
whose days have come,
their time for punishment.
30 Return it to its scabbard.
“At the place where you were formed,
in the land of your origin,
there is where I’ll judge you.
31 I’m going to pour out my indignation all over you.
I’ll blow my fierce wrath against you
and deliver you into the control of brutal men
who are skilled at destruction.
32 You’ll be fuel[n] for the conflagration.
Your blood will be spilled[o] throughout the land.
You won’t be remembered anymore,
now that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 21:1 This v. is 21:6 in MT
- Ezekiel 21:2 Lit. Drop a word
- Ezekiel 21:6 Lit. until your loins break
- Ezekiel 21:6 Lit. bitterly before their eyes
- Ezekiel 21:10 The verb despising requires the Heb. antecedent the sword, which The Heb. lacks
- Ezekiel 21:10 I.e. every living human being in Israel
- Ezekiel 21:12 Lit. So strike your thigh
- Ezekiel 21:16 Lit. face
- Ezekiel 21:17 Lit. rest
- Ezekiel 21:19 Lit. hand
- Ezekiel 21:21 Lit. at the point of departure
- Ezekiel 21:22 Lit. rams, to open the mouth
- Ezekiel 21:22 Lit. to shout
- Ezekiel 21:32 Lit. food
- Ezekiel 21:32 The Heb. lacks spilled
Ezekiel 21
Lexham English Bible
A Vision of the Avenging Sword of Yahweh
21 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying,[b] 2 “Son of man,[c] set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach to the sanctuaries, and prophesy to the land of Israel. 3 And you must say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Look! I am against you, and I will draw out my sword from its sheath, and I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. 4 Because[d] I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword will go out from its sheath to[e] all creatures[f] from south to north. 5 And they will know, all creatures, that I, Yahweh, I will bring out my sword from its sheath; it will not return again!”’ 6 And you, son of man,[g] groan with shaking hips,[h] and you must groan with bitterness before their eyes. 7 And then[i] when they say to you, ‘On account of what are you groaning?’ then you must say, ‘On account of the report, for it is coming, and every heart will be weak and all hands will hang limp and every spirit will be disheartened, and all knees will go like water.’ Look! It is coming, and it will happen!” declares[j] the Lord Yahweh.
8 And the word of Yahweh came[k] to me, saying,[l] 9 “Son of man,[m] prophesy, and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord,’ say, ‘A sword, a sword is sharpened and is also polished. 10 It is sharpened to slaughter a slaughter, polished to flash like lightning![n] Or will we rejoice?[o] A rod, my son, is despising every tree.[p] 11 And he gives it to be polished, to be seized by the hand.[q] It is sharpened—a sword—and it is polished to give it into the hand of the killer. 12 Cry and wail, son of man,[r] for it is against my people; it is against all of the princes of Israel. They are thrown to the sword with my people; therefore strike your thigh.[s] 13 For examine![t] And what if also the rod will not be despising?’ declares[u] the Lord Yahweh. 14 And you, son of man,[v] prophesy and clap your hands.[w] And the sword will strike twice;[x] let it happen a third time. It is a sword of the dead, the sword of the great dead that is surrounding them, 15 so that a heart melts, and the fallen multiply[y] at all of their gates. I gave a sword for slaughter, and alas! It is made for flashing, it is grasped[z] for slaughtering. 16 Gather together, strike to the right; cause to go to the left, where your edge[aa] is directed. 17 And also I myself[ab] will clap my hands,[ac] and I will satisfy my rage! I, Yahweh, I have spoken.”
18 And the word of Yahweh came[ad] to me, saying,[ae] 19 “And you, son of man,[af] mark out for yourself[ag] two roads for the coming of the sword of the king of Babylon; they must both[ah] go out from the same land. And hew out a signpost;[ai] hew it at the head of the road of the city. 20 You must mark a road for the coming of the sword to Rabbah of the Ammonites[aj] and to Judah, in Jerusalem the fortified. 21 For the king of Babylon stands at the fork of the road at the head of the two roads to practice divination. He shakes the arrows,[ak] he inquires with the teraphim, he examines[al] the liver. 22 In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem, to put up battering rams, to open a mouth for slaughter,[am] to raise the battle cry,[an] to put up battering rams against gates, to build a siege ramp, to build siege works.[ao] 23 And it will be to them like practicing divination falsely[ap] in their eyes; they have sworn oaths for themselves.[aq] But[ar] he will bring their guilt to remembrance so as to seize them.
24 “Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Because you have brought to remembrance your guilt by the uncovering of your transgressions, so that your sins in all of your deeds appear—because of your being remembered, you will be captured in the hand.’ 25 And as for you, profane one, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come with the time of the punishment of the end, 26 thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Remove the turban and lift off the crown; things are no longer the same. Exalt the low and bring low the high. 27 A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I will make it! Also[as] this has not ever happened;[at] it will remain until the coming of the one to whom the judgment belongs and I have given it to him.’ 28 And you, son of man,[au] prophesy, and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the Ammonites[av] and concerning their disgrace,’ and you must say, ‘A sword, a sword is drawn for slaughtering; it is polished for holding, for flashing like lightning,[aw] 29 when seeing a false vision for you in vain, when practicing divination for you falsely, to give[ax] you on the neck of the profane ones of the wicked, whose day has come,[ay] the time of final punishment.[az] 30 Return it to its sheath in the place where you were created. In the land of your origin I will judge you! 31 And I will pour out my anger on you; I will blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, skilled craftsmen of destruction. 32 You will be as fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the earth. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh, I have spoken.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 21:1 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 21:1 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 21:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 21:4 Hebrew “Because that”
- Ezekiel 21:4 Or “against”
- Ezekiel 21:4 Hebrew “creature”
- Ezekiel 21:6 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 21:6 Literally “with destruction of loins”
- Ezekiel 21:7 Literally “and it will be”
- Ezekiel 21:7 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 21:8 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 21:8 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 21:9 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 21:10 Literally “so that there be for her lightning”
- Ezekiel 21:10 Or “be pleased”
- Ezekiel 21:10 Or “stick” of correction; Hebrew is uncertain in meaning here
- Ezekiel 21:11 Literally “to take hold of in the palm of the hand”
- Ezekiel 21:12 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 21:12 Literally “strike on the thigh”
- Ezekiel 21:13 Literally “it was tested”
- Ezekiel 21:13 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 21:14 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 21:14 Literally “strike hand to hand”
- Ezekiel 21:14 Literally “be doubled”
- Ezekiel 21:15 Literally “be made many”
- Ezekiel 21:15 Or “polished”
- Ezekiel 21:16 Literally “face”
- Ezekiel 21:17 Literally “I, I”
- Ezekiel 21:17 Literally “strike my hand to my hand”
- Ezekiel 21:18 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 21:18 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 21:19 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 21:19 Hebrew “you”
- Ezekiel 21:19 Literally “the two of them”
- Ezekiel 21:19 Literally “hand”
- Ezekiel 21:20 Literally “sons of Ammon”
- Ezekiel 21:21 Literally “he casts the lot with the arrows” (cf. NASB, NRSV)
- Ezekiel 21:21 Literally “sees with”
- Ezekiel 21:22 Or “open the mouth of Sheol”; or “give the command to slaughter” (cf. NRSV, NASB)
- Ezekiel 21:22 Literally “to raise a voice in shouting”
- Ezekiel 21:22 Hebrew “siege work”
- Ezekiel 21:23 Or “in vain”
- Ezekiel 21:23 Literally “swearers of oaths will be for them”
- Ezekiel 21:23 Or “And”
- Ezekiel 21:27 Or “indeed”
- Ezekiel 21:27 Or “will not happen until” (cf. NASB and NRSV)
- Ezekiel 21:28 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 21:28 Literally “sons of Ammon”
- Ezekiel 21:28 Literally “for the sake of lightening”
- Ezekiel 21:29 Or “place”
- Ezekiel 21:29 Literally “who has come their day”
- Ezekiel 21:29 Literally “in the time of the punishment of the end”
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