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Ezekiel 21
Legacy Standard Bible

The Prophecy of Yahweh’s Sword

21 [a]And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, (A)set your face toward Jerusalem and (B)speak, dripping out words against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel 3 and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, (C)I am against you; and I will bring out My sword from its sheath and cut off from you the (D)righteous and the wicked. 4 Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go out from its sheath against (E)all flesh from south to north. 5 Thus all flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have brought out My sword from its sheath. It will (F)not return to its sheath again.”’ 6 Now as for you, son of man, groan with breaking [b]heart and bitter grief, groan in their sight. 7 And it will be that when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the (G)report that is coming; and (H)every heart will melt, all hands will fall limp, every spirit will [c]faint, and all knees will [d]be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will happen,’ declares Lord Yahweh.”

8 Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says [e]the Lord.’ Say,

‘(I)A sword, a sword sharpened
And also polished!
10 Sharpened to make a (J)slaughter,
Polished [f]to flash like lightning!’

Or shall we [g]rejoice in the [h]scepter of My son? The sword (K)despises every tree. 11 It is given to be polished, that it may be seized by the [i]hand; the sword is sharpened and polished, to give it into the hand of the one who kills. 12 (L)Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people; it is against all the (M)princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with My people; therefore slap your thigh. 13 For there is a testing; and what if even the [j]scepter [k]which the sword despises will be no more?” declares Lord Yahweh.

14 “You therefore, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together; and let the sword be (N)doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, 15 that their (O)hearts may melt, and many will be (P)stumbling blocks at all their (Q)gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter. 16 [l]Show yourself sharp, go to the right; set yourself; go to the left, wherever your [m]edge is appointed. 17 And I will also strike My hands together, and I will [n](R)cause My wrath to be at rest; I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

A Sword for Slaughter

18 And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 19 “Now as for you, son of man, [o](S)make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And [p]make a signpost; [q]make it at the head of the way to the city. 20 You shall [r]mark a way for the sword to come to (T)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and to Judah into (U)fortified Jerusalem. 21 For the king of Babylon stands at the [s]parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use (V)divination; he (W)shakes the arrows; he asks the [t](X)household idols; he looks at the liver. 22 Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to (Y)set battering rams, to open the mouth [u]for killing, to lift up the voice with a shout of war, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall. 23 And it will be to them like a worthless divination in their eyes; (Z)they have sworn solemn oaths. But he (AA)brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized.

24 “Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you will be seized with the hand. 25 And you, O slain, wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose (AB)day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end,’ 26 thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Remove the turban and take off the (AC)crown; this will [v]no longer be the same. (AD)Make high that which is low and make low that which is high. 27 (AE)A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I will make it. This also will be no more until (AF)He comes to whom the legal judgment belongs, and I will give it to Him.’

28 “Now as for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their (AG)reproach,’ and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for the slaughter, to cause it [w]to (AH)consume, that it may be like lightning— 29 while they behold for you (AI)worthless visions, while they divine lies for you—to place you on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, in the (AJ)time of the iniquity of the end. 30 (AK)Return it to its sheath. In the (AL)place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. 31 And I will (AM)pour out My indignation on you; I will (AN)blow on you with the fire of My fury, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, (AO)craftsmen of destruction. 32 You will be [x](AP)fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will (AQ)not be remembered, for I, Yahweh, have spoken.’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 21:1 Ch 21:6 in Heb
  2. Ezekiel 21:6 Lit loins
  3. Ezekiel 21:7 Lit be dim
  4. Ezekiel 21:7 Lit flow
  5. Ezekiel 21:9 Some mss and versions Yahweh
  6. Ezekiel 21:10 Lit lightning to be to her
  7. Ezekiel 21:10 Or rejoice, the scepter of My son despising every tree?
  8. Ezekiel 21:10 Or rod
  9. Ezekiel 21:11 Lit palm
  10. Ezekiel 21:13 Or rod
  11. Ezekiel 21:13 Or which despises
  12. Ezekiel 21:16 Or Unite yourself
  13. Ezekiel 21:16 Lit face
  14. Ezekiel 21:17 Or appease
  15. Ezekiel 21:19 Or set for yourself
  16. Ezekiel 21:19 Lit cut out a hand
  17. Ezekiel 21:19 Lit cut it
  18. Ezekiel 21:20 Lit set
  19. Ezekiel 21:21 Lit mother
  20. Ezekiel 21:21 Heb teraphim
  21. Ezekiel 21:22 Lit in
  22. Ezekiel 21:26 Lit not this
  23. Ezekiel 21:28 Lit to finish
  24. Ezekiel 21:32 Lit food
Close EHV

Ezekiel 21
Evangelical Heritage Version

The Lord’s Punishing Sword Is Drawn

21 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.

Two Roads for the Sword

18 The word of the Lord came to me.

19 Now you, son of man, draw a map with two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to follow. Both of them should start from the same country. Make a signpost. Place it at the fork of the road to the city. 20 Draw a road for the sword to come either to Rabbah of the Ammonites or to Judah, to fortified Jerusalem, 21 because the king of Babylon will stand at the fork of the road, where the two roads branch off, in order to read the omens. He will shake the arrows, consult his family gods,[k] and examine animal livers for omens. 22 In his right hand he will receive the omen for Jerusalem—to set up battering rams, to shout the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to throw up a ramp, to build a siege wall. 23 But to the people of Jerusalem it will seem like a false omen. They swore solemn oaths to him, so he will remind them of their guilt, and they will be captured. 24 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says. Because you brought your guilt into the open by displaying your rebellious acts, so that your sins are revealed by all your deeds—because you have brought your guilt out into the open, you will be taken in hand.

25 You corpse, you wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come for the time of final punishment, 26 this is what the Lord God says. Remove the turban. Take off the crown. Everything will be changed. Raise what is low. Bring down the high. 27 Ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it. This ruin will not end[l] until the one comes to whom judgment belongs, the one to whom I will give it.

28 Now you, son of man, prophesy and say that this is what the Lord God says concerning the Ammonites and their taunts. Say this:

Sword, O sword, unsheathed for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning! 29 Though empty visions were seen about you,[m] though omens made deceptive forecasts about you, you will be applied to the necks of the corpses of wicked men, whose day has come for the time of final punishment.

30 Return, sword, to your scabbard. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. 31 I will pour out my wrath on you. I will blow the fire of my fury upon you. I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men, expert destroyers. 32 You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will flow all over the land, and you will no longer be remembered, for I, the Lord, have spoken.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 21:1 English verses 21:1-32 are 21:6-37 in Hebrew.
  2. Ezekiel 21:7 Terror will cause them to wet themselves.
  3. 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.
  4. Ezekiel 21:12 Apparently an expression of grief
  5. 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.
  6. Ezekiel 21:14 Apparently a signal to begin the slaughter. Compare 21:17.
  7. Ezekiel 21:14 Or to slaughter the great
  8. Ezekiel 21:14 The meaning of this line is uncertain.
  9. Ezekiel 21:15 The meaning of this word is uncertain.
  10. Ezekiel 21:17 To signal the end of the slaughter
  11. Ezekiel 21:21 Hebrew teraphim
  12. Ezekiel 21:27 Or will not be completed. The expression is quite difficult, but this verse points to the Messiah who was foretold in Genesis 49:10 as the one to whom it belongs. This verse answers the question posed in verse 13. When the kings of Judah are gone, the Messiah will come and fulfill the promise to David. It is uncertain whether the point is that the depressed status of Israel will end only when the Messiah comes, or that even after the Messiah comes, in 70 ad Jerusalem will fall again.
  13. Ezekiel 21:29 The Hebrew construction is difficult. The word you, which is the subject of the whole statement, must refer to the sword. The same applies to the word you in the next paragraph.
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Ezekiel 20
Ezekiel 22
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Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

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