Ezekiel 21:1-17
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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ezekiel 21:1 Ch 21:6 in Heb
- Ezekiel 21:6 Lit loins
- Ezekiel 21:7 Lit be dim
- Ezekiel 21:7 Lit flow
- Ezekiel 21:9 Some mss and versions Yahweh
- Ezekiel 21:10 Lit lightning to be to her
- Ezekiel 21:10 Or rejoice, the scepter of My son despising every tree?
- Ezekiel 21:10 Or rod
- Ezekiel 21:11 Lit palm
- Ezekiel 21:13 Or rod
- Ezekiel 21:13 Or which despises
- Ezekiel 21:16 Or Unite yourself
- Ezekiel 21:16 Lit face
- Ezekiel 21:17 Or appease
Ezekiel 21:1-17
Christian Standard Bible
God’s Sword of Judgment
21 The word of the Lord came to me again: 2 “Son of man, face(A) Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel, 3 and say to it, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you.(B) I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4 Since I will cut off[a] both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will therefore come out of its sheath against all humanity from the south to the north.(C) 5 So all humanity will know that I, the Lord, have taken my sword from its sheath—it will not be sheathed again.’(D)
6 “But you, son of man, groan! Groan bitterly with a broken heart[b] right before their eyes. 7 And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ then say, ‘Because of the news that is coming.(E) Every heart will melt, and every hand will become weak. Every spirit will be discouraged, and all knees will run with urine.[c](F) Yes, it is coming and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”
8 The word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Son of man, prophesy, ‘This is what the Lord says!’ You are to proclaim,
‘A sword!(G) A sword is sharpened
and also polished.(H)
10 It is sharpened for slaughter,
polished to flash like lightning!
Should we rejoice?
The scepter of my son,
the sword despises every tree.[d]
11 The sword is given to be polished,
to be grasped in the hand.
It is sharpened, and it is polished,
to be put in the hand of the slayer.’(I)
12 “Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel! They are given over to the sword with my people. Therefore strike your thigh in grief.(J) 13 Surely it will be a trial! And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter will not continue.”[e] This is the declaration of the Lord God.
14 “So you, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together:(K)
Let the sword strike two times, even three.
It is a sword for massacre,
a sword for great massacre—
it surrounds[f] them!
15 I have appointed a sword(L) for slaughter[g]
at all their gates,
so that their hearts may melt
and many may stumble.
Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning;(M)
it is drawn[h] for slaughter.
16 Slash to the right;
turn to the left—
wherever your blade is directed.
17 I also will clap my hands together, and I will satisfy my wrath.(N) I, the Lord, have spoken.”
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