Ezekiel 21 International Standard Version (ISV)

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:

‘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

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.

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: