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A Vision of the Avenging Sword of Yahweh

21 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying,[b] “Son of man,[c] set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach to the sanctuaries, and prophesy to the land of Israel. And you must say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Look! I am against you, and I will draw out my sword from its sheath, and I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Because[d] I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword will go out from its sheath to[e] all creatures[f] from south to north. And they will know, all creatures, that I, Yahweh, I will bring out my sword from its sheath; it will not return again!”’ And you, son of man,[g] groan with shaking hips,[h] and you must groan with bitterness before their eyes. And then[i] when they say to you, ‘On account of what are you groaning?’ then you must say, ‘On account of the report, for it is coming, and every heart will be weak and all hands will hang limp and every spirit will be disheartened, and all knees will go like water.’ Look! It is coming, and it will happen!” declares[j] the Lord Yahweh.

And the word of Yahweh came[k] to me, saying,[l] “Son of man,[m] prophesy, and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord,’ say, ‘A sword, a sword is sharpened and is also polished. 10 It is sharpened to slaughter a slaughter, polished to flash like lightning![n] Or will we rejoice?[o] A rod, my son, is despising every tree.[p] 11 And he gives it to be polished, to be seized by the hand.[q] It is sharpened—a sword—and it is polished to give it into the hand of the killer. 12 Cry and wail, son of man,[r] for it is against my people; it is against all of the princes of Israel. They are thrown to the sword with my people; therefore strike your thigh.[s] 13 For examine![t] And what if also the rod will not be despising?’ declares[u] the Lord Yahweh. 14 And you, son of man,[v] prophesy and clap your hands.[w] And the sword will strike twice;[x] let it happen a third time. It is a sword of the dead, the sword of the great dead that is surrounding them, 15 so that a heart melts, and the fallen multiply[y] at all of their gates. I gave a sword for slaughter, and alas! It is made for flashing, it is grasped[z] for slaughtering. 16 Gather together, strike to the right; cause to go to the left, where your edge[aa] is directed. 17 And also I myself[ab] will clap my hands,[ac] and I will satisfy my rage! I, Yahweh, I have spoken.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 21:1 Literally “was”
  2. Ezekiel 21:1 Literally “to say”
  3. Ezekiel 21:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  4. Ezekiel 21:4 Hebrew “Because that”
  5. Ezekiel 21:4 Or “against”
  6. Ezekiel 21:4 Hebrew “creature”
  7. Ezekiel 21:6 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  8. Ezekiel 21:6 Literally “with destruction of loins”
  9. Ezekiel 21:7 Literally “and it will be”
  10. Ezekiel 21:7 Literally “declaration of”
  11. Ezekiel 21:8 Literally “was”
  12. Ezekiel 21:8 Literally “to say”
  13. Ezekiel 21:9 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  14. Ezekiel 21:10 Literally “so that there be for her lightning”
  15. Ezekiel 21:10 Or “be pleased”
  16. Ezekiel 21:10 Or “stick” of correction; Hebrew is uncertain in meaning here
  17. Ezekiel 21:11 Literally “to take hold of in the palm of the hand”
  18. Ezekiel 21:12 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  19. Ezekiel 21:12 Literally “strike on the thigh”
  20. Ezekiel 21:13 Literally “it was tested”
  21. Ezekiel 21:13 Literally “declaration of”
  22. Ezekiel 21:14 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  23. Ezekiel 21:14 Literally “strike hand to hand”
  24. Ezekiel 21:14 Literally “be doubled”
  25. Ezekiel 21:15 Literally “be made many”
  26. Ezekiel 21:15 Or “polished”
  27. Ezekiel 21:16 Literally “face”
  28. Ezekiel 21:17 Literally “I, I”
  29. Ezekiel 21:17 Literally “strike my hand to my hand”

The Lord’s Sword of Judgment

21 [a]Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, turn and face Jerusalem and prophesy against Israel and her sanctuaries. Tell her, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheath my sword to destroy your people—the righteous and the wicked alike. Yes, I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked! I will draw my sword against everyone in the land from south to north. Everyone in the world will know that I am the Lord. My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath until its work is finished.’

“Son of man, groan before the people! Groan before them with bitter anguish and a broken heart. When they ask why you are groaning, tell them, ‘I groan because of the terrifying news I have heard. When it comes true, the boldest heart will melt with fear; all strength will disappear. Every spirit will faint; strong knees will become as weak as water. And the Sovereign Lord says: It is coming! It’s on its way!’”

Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, give the people this message from the Lord:

“A sword, a sword
    is being sharpened and polished.
10 It is sharpened for terrible slaughter
    and polished to flash like lightning!
Now will you laugh?
    Those far stronger than you have fallen beneath its power![b]
11 Yes, the sword is now being sharpened and polished;
    it is being prepared for the executioner.

12 “Son of man, cry out and wail;
    pound your thighs in anguish,
for that sword will slaughter my people and their leaders—
    everyone will die!
13 It will put them all to the test.
    What chance do they have?[c]
    says the Sovereign Lord.

14 “Son of man, prophesy to them
    and clap your hands.
Then take the sword and brandish it twice,
    even three times,
to symbolize the great massacre,
    the great massacre facing them on every side.
15 Let their hearts melt with terror,
    for the sword glitters at every gate.
It flashes like lightning
    and is polished for slaughter!
16 O sword, slash to the right,
    then slash to the left,
wherever you will,
    wherever you want.
17 I, too, will clap my hands,
    and I will satisfy my fury.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

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Footnotes

  1. 21:1 Verses 21:1-32 are numbered 21:6-37 in Hebrew text.
  2. 21:10 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  3. 21:13 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.