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Ezekiel Tells of the End

Again the ·Lord spoke his word to me [L word of the Lord came], saying: “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], the Lord God says this to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come on the four corners of the land. Now the end has come for you, and I will send my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived, and I will ·make you pay [punish you; or hold you accountable; L place upon you] for all your ·actions that I hate [detestable/abominable practices]. ·I will have no pity on [L My eye will not pity] you; I will not ·hold back punishment from [spare] you. Instead, I will make you pay for the way you have lived and for your ·actions that I hate [detestable/abominable practices]. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“This is what the Lord God says: Disaster ·on top of [or unheard of] disaster ·is [L look/T behold, it is] coming. The end has come! The end has come! It has ·stirred itself up [aroused; awakened] against you! Look! It ·has come [or is coming]! ·Disaster [Doom] has come for you who live in the land! The time has come; the day of is near. It will be a day of ·confusion [panic], not ·celebration [shouts of joy], on the mountains. Soon I will pour out my ·anger [wrath] against you; I will ·carry out [spend; exhaust] my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived and will ·make you pay [punish you; or hold you accountable] for ·everything you have done that I hate [your detestable/abominable practices]. ·I will show no pity [L My eye will not pity you], and I will not ·hold back punishment [spare you]. I will ·pay you back [punish you; or hold you accountable] for ·the way you have lived and the things you have done that I hate [your detestable/abominable practices]. Then you will know that I am the Lord who ·punishes [strikes you].

10 “·Look [T Behold], the day is here. ·Look [T Behold] It has come. ·Disaster [Doom] has ·come [gone out], ·violence has grown [L the rod has budded; Num. 17; C may refer to Nebuchadnezzar, the instrument of God’s judgment], ·and there is more pride than ever [L pride/arrogance has blossomed]. 11 Violence has grown into a ·weapon [rod; staff] for punishing wickedness. None of the people will be left—none of that crowd, none of their wealth, and ·nothing of value [or none of their prominent ones]. 12 The time has come; the day has arrived. Don’t let the buyer ·be happy [rejoice] or the seller ·be sad [grieve; mourn], because my ·burning anger [wrath] is against the whole crowd. 13 Sellers will not ·return to the land [or recover the property] they have sold as long as they live, because the vision against all that crowd will not be ·changed [revoked; reversed]. Because of their ·sins [iniquity], they will not ·save [preserve] their lives. 14 They have blown the trumpet, and everything is ready. But no one is going to the battle, because my ·anger [wrath] is against all that crowd.

15 “The sword is outside, and ·disease [pestilence; plague] and ·hunger [famine] are inside [6:12]. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword. ·Hunger [Famine] and ·disease [pestilence; plague] will destroy those in the city. 16 ·Those who are left alive and [The survivors] who escape will be on the mountains, moaning like doves of the valleys about their own ·sin [iniquity]. 17 All hands ·will hang weakly with fear [are weak/limp], and all knees will ·become weak as water [or be wet with urine; L run with water]. 18 They will put on ·rough cloth to show how sad they are [burlap; sackcloth]. ·They will tremble all over with fear [L Terror/Horror covers them]. Their faces will show their shame, and all their heads will be shaved. 19 The people will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like ·trash [filth; an unclean thing]. Their silver and gold will not save them from the Lord’s ·anger [wrath]. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, because it ·caused them to fall [was their stumbling block] into sin. 20 ·They were proud of their beautiful jewelry [or They used God’s ornaments for their own prideful means; C the ornaments could refer to the temple treasures] and used it to make their ·idols [abominable images] and their ·evil statues, which I hate [detestable/abominable idols]. So I will turn their wealth into ·trash [filth; an unclean thing]. 21 I will give it to foreigners as loot from war and to the ·evil [or most wicked] people in the world as ·treasure [plunder], and they will ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] it. 22 I will also turn [L my face] away from the ·people [L house] of Israel, and they will ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] my treasured place. Then robbers will enter and ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] it.

23 “·Make chains for captives [L Prepare/Forge the chains], because the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. 24 So I will bring the ·worst [most evil/wicked/ruthless] of the nations to take over the people’s houses. I will also end the pride of the strong, and their ·holy places [sanctuaries] will be ·dishonored [desecrated; defiled; C ritually]. 25 ·When the people are suffering greatly [or Terror/Anguish is coming!], they will look for peace, but there will be none. 26 Disaster will come on top of disaster, and rumor will be added to rumor. Then they will ·try to get [seek] a vision from a prophet; the ·teachings of God [L laws; instructions] from the priest and the ·advice [counsel] from the elders ·will be lost [perishes]. 27 The king will ·cry greatly [mourn], the prince will ·give up hope [L be clothed/wrapped in despair], and the hands of the people of land will shake with fear. I will ·punish [deal with] them for the way they have lived. The way they have judged others is the way I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Punishment for Wickedness Foretold

Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Also, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel, ‘An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land.(A) Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you and will judge you in accordance with your ways and I will bring [retribution for] all your abominations upon you. For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will repay you for your evil ways, while your abominations are among you; and you will know (recognize, understand) [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.’

“Thus says the Lord God, ‘A disaster is coming, [one so destructive and injurious, so sudden and violent, that it stands alone,] a unique disaster, look it is coming! An end is coming; the end has come! It has awakened against you. Look, it has come! Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land; the time has come, the day is near—tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will soon pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you, and I will judge you in accordance with your ways and will repay you [with punishment] for all your outrageous acts. My eye will show no pity nor will I spare [you]. I will repay you in accordance with your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know and understand that it is I, the Lord, who strikes you.

10 ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your doom has gone forth, the rod has blossomed, arrogance has sprouted. 11 Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness; none of them (Israel) will remain, none of their people, none of their wealth, nor anything eminent among them. 12 The time has come, the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn, for wrath is against all their multitude [of people]. 13 For the seller will not regain and return to [a]what he sold, even were they yet alive; for the vision [of punishment] regarding all the multitude [of people] will not be turned back, nor will any one of them sustain his life because of his sin.

14 ‘They have blown the trumpet and have made everything ready, but no one is going to the battle, for My wrath is against all their multitude [of people]. 15 The sword is outside and virulent disease and famine are within. He who is in the field will die by the sword, and famine and disease will devour those in the city. 16 Even when their survivors escape, they will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each over his [punishment for] sin. 17 All hands will hang limp and all knees will be as weak as water.(B) 18 They will also cover themselves with sackcloth; horror will overwhelm them, and shame will be on all faces and baldness on all their heads [as evidence of grief]. 19 They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will be [discarded] like something unclean; their silver and their gold shall not be able to save them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. These [things] cannot satisfy their soul nor fill their stomachs, for they have become their stumbling block and source of sin.(C)

The Temple Profaned

20 As for the beauty of [gold for] ornaments, they turned it to pride and from it made the images of their repulsive things (idols) and of their vile things. Therefore I will make it an unclean thing to them. 21 I will give it into the hands of strangers (Babylonians) as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as spoil, and they shall profane it. 22 I will also turn My face away from them, and they will desecrate My secret treasure (the Jerusalem temple); and robbers will enter [irreverently] into it (the Holy of Holies) and violate it.

23 ‘Prepare the chain [for imprisonment], for the land is full of bloody crimes [murders committed under the pretense of civil justice] and the city is full of violence. 24 Therefore, I will bring the worst of the [Gentile] nations, and they will take possession of their houses [those of the people of Judah]; I will also silence their pride, and their holy places will be profaned. 25 When anguish comes, they [of Judah] shall seek peace, but there will be none. 26 Disaster will come upon disaster and rumor will be heaped on rumor; they will seek a vision from a prophet, but the law and guidance will be lost from the priest and [wise] counsel [will cease] from the elders.(D) 27 The king [of Judah] will mourn and the prince (Zedekiah) will be clothed with [garments of] despair and anguish, and the hands of the people of the land shall tremble [in terror]. I will deal with them in accordance with their conduct, and by their judgments I will judge them. And they will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 7:13 I.e. his inherited land.