Ezekiel 21:1-11

English Standard Version

The Lord Has Drawn His Sword

21 ^[a] The word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (A)“Son of man, ^(B)set your face toward Jerusalem and ^(C)preach against the sanctuaries.^[b] Prophesy against the land of Israel ³ and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: ^(D)Behold, I am against you and will draw ^(E)my sword from its sheath and ^(F)will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. ⁴ Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. ^5 (G)And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn ^(H)my sword from its sheath; ^(I)it shall not be sheathed again.

⁶ “As for you, son of man, ^(J)groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, ^(K)groan before their eyes. ^7 (L)And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news ^(M)that it is coming. ^(N)Every heart will melt, and ^(O)all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and ^(P)all knees will be weak as water. ^(Q)Behold, it is ^(R)coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord God.

⁸ And the word of the Lord came to me: ^9 (S)“Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say:

(Or ^(W)shall we rejoice? You have despised the rod, my son, ^(X)with everything of wood.)^{[c] 11} So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished ^(Y)to be given into the hand of the slayer.