Punishment for Wickedness Foretold

Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “And you, son of man, this is what the Lord [a]God says to the land of Israel: ‘An (A)end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. Now the end is upon you, for I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and [b]bring all your abominations upon you. And My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will [c](B)bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will (C)know that I am the Lord!’

“This is what the Lord [d]God says: ‘A (D)disaster, a unique disaster, behold, it is coming! An end [e]is coming; the end has come! It has (E)awakened against you; behold, it has come! Your [f]doom has come to you, you inhabitant of the land. The (F)time has come, the (G)day is near—panic rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will shortly (H)pour out My wrath on you and expend My anger against you; I will (I)judge you according to your ways and [g]bring on you all your abominations. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare you. I will [h]repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the Lord, am striking.

10 ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your [i]doom has gone forth; the (J)rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed. 11 Violence [j]has grown into a rod of (K)wickedness. None of them shall remain, none of their [k]people, none of their (L)wealth, nor anything eminent among them. 12 The (M)time has come, the day has arrived. Let neither the (N)buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn; for (O)wrath is against all their multitude. 13 Indeed, the seller will not [l](P)regain [m]what he sold as long as [n]they both live; for the vision regarding all their multitude will not [o]be averted, nor will any of them maintain his life by his wrongdoing.

14 ‘They have (Q)blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but no one is going to the battle, for My wrath is against all [p]their multitude. 15 The (R)sword is outside the city and the plague and the famine are within. Anyone who is in the field will die by the sword, while famine and the plague will consume those in the city. 16 Even when their survivors (S)escape, they will be on the mountains like (T)doves of the valleys, all of them (U)moaning, each over his own wrongdoing. 17 All (V)hands will hang limp, and all [q]knees will drip with water. 18 They will (W)put on sackcloth and (X)shuddering will overwhelm them; and shame will be on all faces, and a [r](Y)bald patch on all their heads. 19 They will (Z)fling their silver into the streets, and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their (AA)silver and their gold will not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their [s]appetite, nor can they fill their stomachs, because their wrongdoing has become a cause of stumbling.

The Temple Profaned

20 Moreover, they transformed the splendor of His jewels into pride, and (AB)they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things with it; therefore I will make it an abhorrent thing to them. 21 And I will hand it over to the (AC)foreigners as plunder, and to the wicked of the earth as spoils; and they will profane it. 22 I will also turn My (AD)face away from them, and they will profane My treasure; then robbers will enter and profane it.

23 (AE)Make the [t]chain, for the land is full of [u](AF)bloody crimes, and the city is (AG)full of violence. 24 Therefore, I will bring the worst of the (AH)nations, and they will take possession of their houses. I will also put an end to the (AI)pride of the strong ones, and their (AJ)holy places will be profaned. 25 When anguish comes, they will seek (AK)peace, but there will be none. 26 (AL)Disaster will come upon disaster and (AM)rumor will be added to rumor; then they will seek a (AN)vision from a prophet, but the (AO)Law will be lost from the priest, and (AP)counsel from the elders. 27 The king will mourn, the prince will be (AQ)clothed in horror, and the hands of the people of the land will [v]tremble. I will deal with them because of their conduct, and by their judgments I will judge them. And they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 7:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  2. Ezekiel 7:3 Lit give
  3. Ezekiel 7:4 Lit give
  4. Ezekiel 7:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  5. Ezekiel 7:6 Or has come
  6. Ezekiel 7:7 Meaning uncertain
  7. Ezekiel 7:8 Lit give
  8. Ezekiel 7:9 Lit give
  9. Ezekiel 7:10 Meaning uncertain
  10. Ezekiel 7:11 Lit has risen
  11. Ezekiel 7:11 Or procession
  12. Ezekiel 7:13 Lit return to
  13. Ezekiel 7:13 Lit the thing sold; i.e., his inherited land
  14. Ezekiel 7:13 Lit their life among the living ones
  15. Ezekiel 7:13 Lit return
  16. Ezekiel 7:14 Lit her
  17. Ezekiel 7:17 Heb idiom meaning to wet oneself
  18. Ezekiel 7:18 I.e., shaved as a sign of mourning
  19. Ezekiel 7:19 Lit soul
  20. Ezekiel 7:23 I.e., used for imprisonment
  21. Ezekiel 7:23 Lit judgment of blood
  22. Ezekiel 7:27 Lit be horrified

Impending Disaster

The word of the Lord came to me: “And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end is upon you, and I will let loose my anger upon you, and will judge you according to your ways; and I will punish you for all your abominations. And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity; but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“Thus says the Lord God: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes. An end has come, the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes. Your doom[a] has come to you, O inhabitant of the land; the time has come, the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting upon the mountains. Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways; and I will punish you for all your abominations. And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who smite.

10 “Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom[b] has come, injustice[c] has blossomed, pride has budded. 11 Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be pre-eminence among them.[d] 12 The time has come, the day draws near. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all their multitude. 13 For the seller shall not return to what he has sold, while they live. For wrath[e] is upon all their multitude; it shall not turn back; and because of his iniquity, none can maintain his life.[f]

14 “They have blown the trumpet and made all ready; but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude. 15 The sword is without, pestilence and famine are within; he that is in the field dies by the sword; and him that is in the city famine and pestilence devour. 16 And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one over his iniquity. 17 All hands are feeble, and all knees weak as water. 18 They gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror covers them; shame is upon all faces, and baldness on all their heads. 19 They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing; their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity. 20 Their[g] beautiful ornament they used for vainglory, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it; therefore I will make it an unclean thing to them. 21 And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall profane it. 22 I will turn my face from them, that they may profane my precious[h] place; robbers shall enter and profane it, 23 and make a desolation.[i]

“Because the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence, 24 I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses; I will put an end to their proud might, and their holy places shall be profaned. 25 When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none. 26 Disaster comes upon disaster, rumor follows rumor; they seek a vision from the prophet, but the law perishes from the priest, and counsel from the elders. 27 The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are palsied by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to their own judgments I will judge them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  2. Ezekiel 7:10 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  3. Ezekiel 7:10 Or the rod
  4. Ezekiel 7:11 The Hebrew of verse 11 is uncertain
  5. Ezekiel 7:13 Cn: Heb vision
  6. Ezekiel 7:13 Heb obscure
  7. Ezekiel 7:20 Syr Symmachus: Heb Its
  8. Ezekiel 7:22 Or secret
  9. Ezekiel 7:23 Cn: Heb make the chain